I spent all day working from bed today, because my lower back was actually really jacked up. I feel much better after a day resting it; plus, I realized the ibuprofen I’d been dosing myself with since Saturday actually expired in 2011, so that explains a lot. Anyway, because I barely moved today, I didn’t really need to drink a lot of Soylent.
But this evening, I had to do two things that usually I have to do a lot more frequently and that typically really annoy me: clean up the kitchen and go to the grocery store. Cleaning up the kitchen involved washing four Soylent glasses, four coffee mugs, and a whiskey glass. That’s it. That was all.
I had to go to the grocery store to get salad greens for the bunny (sadly, she will not be converted to a Soylent lifestyle). I kind of expected that when I went to the store and was surrounded by food, I’d go crazy wanting everything. But you know what? None of it was particularly appealing. It just seemed…unnecessary.
I am hoping that I do not lose weight on Soylent, although I can stand to lose fifteen pounds or so, for sure. But I want this to be a viable meal replacement, and if I’m not maintaining my body weight, then it won’t work over the long-term.
I do think, though, that going on Soylent could be a useful tool if you’re trying to diet. I’m an emotional eater and pretty aware of it, but when I get really hungry and stressed and tired, I crave crappy food, as quickly as possible. I thought that this was purely an emotional thing, because even if I ate something healthy instead, I’d still feel a powerful compulsion to eat a bunch of garbage. But that’s not happening to me this week — I’ve gotten overly hungry, but after having some Soylent, I didn’t still feel the urge to binge on pizza or whatever. So maybe it really wasn’t my emotional eating at all; maybe I was just missing some vitamin or something.
Or maybe it’s just easier to make one choice rather than a never-ending series of choices.
I felt like a superhero walking around the grocery store. So many endless and seemingly inescapable decisions and considerations that suddenly just didn’t apply to me at all! I bought salad stuff and ibuprofen and wine and sashayed out of the store.
But it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. One unpleasant thing I’ve noticed about Soylent (other than the gas, which is gradually getting better) is that after drinking a lot of it, I have a persistent sour taste in the back of my mouth. Also, I think something in the Soylent is dehydrating, because I have to drink more water than I normally would, and in fact, I’m probably not drinking enough. I went on the Soylent forums and there’s a lot of discussion about this, and other side effects, and there are DIY alternatives being sold that some people say are better.
But none of these things are bothersome enough to me to overrule the great benefit of not having to worry about food at all.
So I’ve gone ahead and ordered a month’s supply. Right now, Soylent is slightly over $250/month, which a lot of people are saying is too expensive, but I spend probably around $150 per week to feed myself with “real” food. I know, I know, you feed a family of four on $50, but I buy mostly prepared foods and takeout. That shit’s expensive. So for me, Soylent will actually free up a good chunk of income that I was otherwise straight up eating. So that’s another benefit.
Also, honestly? I feel pretty great.
…I’ll try to be more critical and less servicey in tomorrow’s update, promise.
Accismus 